Without them, the Hippies and the Punks would never have existed.

The Beat Generation were a radical group of American writers whose relaxed, gritty and candid writing inspired generations. In his chronicle of the origins, adventures, and inner workings of the Beat movement, Christopher Gair reveals how it sparked one of the most important revolutions in American literature, influencing everything from bebop to the Beastie Boys.

Christopher Gair is a Senior Lecturer in American Literature at the University of Glasgow. His books include The American Counterculture (2007).